This blog is a result of the heavy censoring of the media by the military dictatorship regime.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

One of Yatu Latu Company Ltd directors on NBF Debtors List

Colonel Ilaisa Kacisolomone listed as owing $44, 668

Part Fourteen of a Special Report by VICTOR LAL

Colonel Ilaisa Kacisolomone, the former president of the Fiji Court Martial and former Chief of Military Staff who, while sentencing the mutinous soldiers after 2000 Speight coup had described them as a menace to society who must be restricted in every way, was listed as one of the hundreds of debtors in the collapsed National Bank of Fiji 1996 Debtors List.

He was listed as owing $44,668 to the bank. Kacisolomone is not only a director of Yatu Lau Company Ltd but also holds with Jimaima Kacisolomone thousands of Class A Shares in the once ‘Lauans only’ $23million company.

Unlike the mutinous soldiers, two of whom he jailed for life and 54 other troops to terms ranging from four to ten years, it seems that despite being listed as a NBF debtor, he faced no obstacle in the advancement of own career whether in the military or in the business world.

Kacisolomone had said the mutineers had caused a lot of suffering and devastation to the country during one of its most trying times and acted in a cowardly way with the use of illegally seized weapons. He said the incitement to mutiny and mutiny were the most serious offences that had shocked Fiji’s military. He had called for an investigation into what he called disloyalty virus within the military which had the potential to become an epidemic.

And yet neither Kacisolomone, the Mara-Ganilau dynastic members, Police Commissioner Esala Teleni, Foreign Minister Inoke Kubuabola, including countless others identified so far, have been brought to justice over the NBF loans scandal (virus) or asked to explain if they ever repaid their NBF loans. Police investigations into the NBF scandal revealed fraud, corruption, and gross abuse of office, obtaining money by false pretences and obtaining credit by fraud. And the debtors remain scot-free, many supporting or benefitting from the 2006 coup, and others continuing to reap dividends as shareholders of various companies.

Kacisolomone, as president of the Fiji Court Martial, had also urged the present military dictator Frank Bainimarama to reveal the names of those who advised him [Bainimarama] to abrogate the 1997 Constitution. He said Bainimarama owed a duty to the nation to name those who advised him. He said those in authority did not readily accept the abrogation of the Constitution but went along drafting decrees to maintain their respective powers.

Kacisolomone said several military officers were sympathetic to those responsible for the political upheaval in 2000. He said supplies that were taken from Queen Elizabeth Barracks to feed those in the parliamentary complex were one way to support the coup. He said soldiers were granted leave to go to Parliament, making it look as if they were off-duty. Kacisolomone said weapons had been taken to the Parliamentary complex from the military camp without any questions being asked.

He had made the comment while acquitting Lagilagi Vosabeci, a former military intelligence officer on coup charges. Kacisolomone said soldiers charged with May 2000 offences had been dealt with. But, he said, serious attention had to turn to root causes that gave rise to criminal acts the military court had dealt with. ‘We hear too often from our Fijian leaders that most, if not all, support the cause but not the means when talking about the 2000 coup,’ he said.

Kacisolomone noted: ‘Surely, any causes worth pursuing and inculcating into the fabrics of our everyday life are those which ensure for us a better future rather than a cause which denigrates human dignity and brings about hatred and sufferings, economic disaster and total disregard for law and order.’ He said the ‘cause’ led to the imprisonment of high chiefs, brilliant young men, and custodians of law and order.

Meanwhile, Bainimarama had refused to accept back into his ranks any of the soldiers who were implicated in the mutiny that accompanied the country’s 2000 political coup, saying ‘they cannot be trusted’. This was despite almost all of them expressing remorse and a willingness to return to the army barracks after serving time for their part in the takeover of Parliament in May 2000 and a bloody mutiny in November the same year. Why should we take them back?’ asked Bainimarama. ‘There is no reason to take them back. Why? So there will be another coup?’ In any event, he didn’t need them, for he knew that if he wanted to, he could execute another coup himself, which he did in December 2006.

Fifty-eight soldiers had faced the court martial for their involvement in the Parliament takeover, according to military lawyer and until recently the military appointed Chief Court Registrar Ana Rokomokoti. Sixty-three were tried for the takeover of the Sukanaivalu Barracks in Labasa. The soldiers had all pleaded guilty to charges against them except for Vosabeci and the late Private Iliesa Liganivai, who had been convicted of several mutiny offences, but hung himself before he was to go on trial on separate mutiny charges.

Only 39 soldiers, who were tried for their part in both the mutiny at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks and the Parliament takeover, pleaded not guilty. This first group to face the court martial included mutiny leader, Captain Shane Stevens, who is serving a life sentence.

Unlike the above mutineers, no NBF debtor, despite the former DDP chief Nazhat Shameem’s effort to bring them to trial, was convicted. Many went on to borrow from other banks and have continued to run businesses or serve as directors and shareholders of companies. As I have noted above, Kacisolomone is listed as one of the directors of Yatu Lau Company Ltd in the company’s annual report for the year ending 2008.

Meanwhile, other company directors are as follows, as one can ascertain from the company’s annual return to the Registrar of Companies made up to the 31 December 2008, and signed off by its chairperson Koila Nailatikau and secretary Solomoni Makasiale. They are as follows:

Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara; the military ‘Bully Boy’ as he is referred to by his junior officers and coup opponents, and chairman of the Lau Provincial Council;

Anare Jale, former Fiji Ambassador to the US and former CEO of the Public Service Commission from May 2005 to 7 December 2006 when he was dismissed by the coupist Frank Bainimarama;

Adi Koila Nailatikau, the wife of President Epeli Nailatikau;

Col. Ilaisa Kacisolomone;

Alipate Naiorosui, the CEO, Housing Authority, presently facing charges of abuse of office, in that he allegedly in December of 2006, while he was the Deputy Chairman for Fiji Ports Corporation Ltd, approved the payment of $177,000 in early retirement for Herbert Hazelman;

Solomone Makasiale (recently deceased)

Dr Esther Williams, USP Deputy Vice-Chancellor;

James Datta, who had hastily supported the post 2006 military and later became a board member of FNFP, ATH, TFL etc, etc;

We may recall that one of the demands of the present illegal regime is that there should be no cross-media ownership in Fiji. If so, we wonder whether the regime’s pig-headed lawyer Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum will call upon the Mara siblings to give up their cross-directorships, for some of them from Yatu Lau are also directors of the Lomaloma Resort, which owed the collapsed NBF thousands of dollars. Adi Koila Nailatikau and Tevita Uluilakeba Mara hold cross-directorships of Yatu Lau and Lomaloma Resort respectively.

Who else, besides Kacisolomone, is from Yatu Lau on that National Bank of Fiji Debtors List?

To be continued

Editor’s Note: We will continue to reveal debtors names, which includes those of high chiefs, politicians, Indo-Fijians, Rotumans, Part-Europeans, business houses, including individual supporters of the present illegal junta in Fiji. If you or your family has paid back the NBF loans, please provide Victor Lal with evidence. He can be reached at vloxford@gmail.com

5 comments:

Not unsurprising that Crosbie Walsh and his blog site has decided that these issues do not need airing or any clarification fronm the perpetrators, depite, if true , the glaring doublestandard and hyposcrasy and notwithstanding the outrageous benefit these indviduals have dreived. This would be in his terms, 'looking in the past', and 'not focussing on the future' or even more patronsing, 'unhelpful'. So much for his claims of being balanced, he doesn't even want to bring it up. And we know why don't we.

What do you mean sara ? this information is inciteful to the illegal government ? or is it irresponsible reporting ? or is Victor Lal trying to undemine the regime's vision of Fiji's way to a sustainable democracy ?

These people cannot accept the fact that they have committed treason, they cannot accept that the whole world have turned their backs on us, they cannot accept they will only deal with legally elected governments and they cannot accept that the economy's ruin was of their selfish doing.

Maybe you are right, a shove from the back with a bayonet a serious one.

Vinaka vakalevu Victor for your informative detail articles on these corrupt mostly Fijian so called leaders who have used their positions, connections and influence to line their pockets.

There are many issues constraining Fijian progress and one of them revolves around leaders who have obtained positions of authority through personal achievements or traditional roles, using such positions corruptly for illegal personal gains. If we had a transparent system backed by robust law and order supports, free, strong and fearless press and people who will stand up for truths and human rights perhaps we may dissuade these corrupt people stealing from the public.